


Courtship Rituals

by MrsHamill



Series: Raising Madison [9]
Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Family, Kid Fic, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-16
Updated: 2016-02-16
Packaged: 2018-05-21 03:28:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6036124
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MrsHamill/pseuds/MrsHamill
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Being a single parent sucks.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Courtship Rituals

**Author's Note:**

> Picks up a bit after _Hunting of the Snark_. If it's readable at all, it's due to Susan smacking me around until I figured out what was wrong with it.

"Are you sure you don't want me to go with you?" John said, for about the fiftieth time. Rodney looked wrecked, looked the way he'd been looking since receiving notice his mother was fading fast.

Rodney sighed. "No," he said. "I'm not sure of anything. Well, other than I'm sure I have to do this."

"You don't have to do it alone."

"I know." Rodney zipped the suit bag closed and took a deep breath before turning to John. His face was screwed up and John wanted to hug him, but he made himself stay away, waiting for cues from Rodney over what kind of help he could give. "I... This is something I _have_ to do, I have ghosts to kill. And I don't want Madison to have to go through it, especially if Branwen's... still lingering. And Madison needs someone here for her, and I don't trust anyone as much as you to keep her out of trouble." He gave John a lopsided grin. "Well, maybe Teyla."

Before John could reply, their front door opened and a bellow of "I'm HOME!" echoed throughout the apartment. "Ah, the dulcet tones of the child," Rodney said, shaking his head.

Madison stomped into their bedroom. "Hey, I'm home!" she said before stopping dead, her gaze on the suit bag and the smaller toiletry bag. "Uh..."

Rodney turned and gave her a big hug. "Hey, Three-M."

"Is that--"

"Yeah, Beav. Your uncle has something to tell you." When her face fell, John hastily added, "No, it's not that bad. Sorry." Rodney whapped him on the head before sitting on the bed. "Ow!"

"I got... a package, a note, from your grandmother earlier today, Three-M," Rodney began, and John thought no, not a note, a videotape. Of her -- it must have been before the chemo started but after Christmas. Though there was a letter attached to it. "She's dying, and I need to go see her." Watching the tape was bad enough, but the letter compounded it -- guilt topped by scorn heaped over regrets. "There are things I need to do, now that she's, well, almost gone."

"But... Uncle Mer, Grandma's crazy." John choked on a grin at Madison's words and Rodney gave him a glare.

"I know, I know," Rodney said. "But she's my mother and your grandmother, and sometimes there are things you do because... well, because they're the right things to do. I might not like her very much, but she is my mother and I need to honor her for that, if nothing else."

Madison still looked glum, but she nodded. "Do I--"

"No, God no," John said, even as Rodney said, "No, it's all right." Rodney looked up as John joined him on the bed. "I don't want to disrupt your classes anyway, so you can stay here with Uncle John."

Her face cleared as Rodney spoke. "I can stay with Uncle John?"

"Yes, and you'll have to make sure he doesn't get into any trouble while I'm gone. I don't think I'll be gone more than a week, maybe less."

Madison seemed cheered by that, enough so that she could accompany John and Rodney to the 'gateroom to see Rodney off. She got a tight hug and kiss on her forehead; John got a tighter hug and a much less familial kiss, much to the glee (and wolf whistles) of the 'gateroom staff. Then Rodney was gone, swallowed by the wormhole, on his way back to Earth.

The 'gate whooshed shut, leaving John and Madison. "Well, Beav, I guess it's just us," John said, taking Madison's hand. "Mess hall for dinner?"

"Okay! I've got maths homework first, though. Can you help me?"

"Sure. Show up the poor, pitiful old man with all your brilliance..."

Madison laughed and it was the same giggle John had fallen in love with over a year ago.

* * *

The mess hall at dinner was crowded and everyone was talking about the new personnel due in from SGC next week. Atlantis was getting popular, and John didn't think it was solely due to the war with the Ori. Atlantis was the new hot spot, the new Rio -- laid-back administration, easy-going missions, and if you occasionally had to deal with a life-sucking alien vampire, well, the snacks and booze basically made up for it.

Madison was big enough now to sit at a table without a booster chair, but she still preferred to kneel on her chair to eat. She was like Rodney in another way -- she never let a full mouth keep her from talking. John had given up on training that habit out of her, since Rodney never understood what he was talking about. Luckily, it was never a very serious conversation; rather, she flitted from subject to subject like a moth in a room full of lit candles. He heard all about her classes with Elizabeth and Dr. Liu, and how excited she was that Liu would be starting her on symbolic logic. She was reading _Atlas Shrugged_ and John was proud of the fact that she considered Ayn Rand to be pretty much the same as he did -- an over-educated, self-absorbed idiot; not as bad as Tolstoy, but really, few were.

She opted for vegetarian for dinner, which was easy since the emphasis was on greens, fresh ones from the mainland harvest. They'd been sitting for only a few minutes when they were joined by Ronon; shortly after that, Teyla and Carson sat down as well. Carson had only been back on Atlantis for a few days; he was still too thin and had too many shadows in his eyes, but John knew he'd come around, eventually. He was well loved and appreciated on Atlantis, and he knew it, somewhere, deep down.

Ronon appeared to be picking up far too many bad habits from Madison. They egged each other on  at times, and while John often found it funny, he knew he should really put the hammer down. Fortunately, Teyla stepped in before he could say anything about the developing crouton-flicking war. It was odd... John was accustomed to being the 'juvenile' in any situation -- practical jokes were his blessings and puns came with the motto of never explain, never apologize -- but being a parent took it all away, suddenly. There were times when it was easy to descend to Madison's level, but those happened to be when Rodney was being the 'parent.'

Of course, he'd never, ever want to go back, no matter how depressingly old he felt, at times.

Ewri and Radek were sitting at a nearby table, petite Ewri beginning to look strange with the huge lump developing around her middle. Radek had been insufferable but John cut him slack -- for now. Everyone else in the city was excited about the first baby to be born on Atlantis, and the kids in Jennifer Keller's human anatomy classes were fascinated by the gestation and changes to Ewri's body, easily visible on the Ancient scanner. Since Ewri was a biologist, she had no problems being put on display for the kids.

"Uncle John?"

John wrenched himself out of his musings. "Yeah?"

"Can I have a party?"

Madison was giving him her patented "Why no, I'm not up to anything, don't you trust me?!" look and John braced himself. "What kind of party?"

She rolled her eyes. "You know, a _party._ Where we make popcorn and watch TV all night. You could make that chocolate cake, you know, the one Uncle Mer says is heart attack on a plate, and it could be like my birthday party..."

"Beav." Butter wouldn't have melted in her mouth and John narrowed his eyes. "You not only had a birthday party three weeks ago, you had a _Baskin-Robbins_ ice cream birthday cake, hand-delivered by Sam and Daniel, to said party."

"Yeah, so?"

John sighed. Luckily, Rodney had given him a strategy in cases like this: drop back a yard and punt. "I'll think about it."

"Okay."

That was too easy. Sure enough, a few minutes later, Madison said, "Uncle John?"

"Yes?"

"Did you think about it yet?"

* * *

John finally gave in, provisionally, extracting many concessions from Madison before agreeing. It would not be an all night party (though Amaly and Jalla would sleep over and Jinto and Wex would stay with Ronon that evening rather than going back to the mainland); John would vet the movie choices (since not doing so was how _Rocky Horror_ nearly made it into one movie night) and the guest list; and the chocolate cake would be dessert only, not the main course. They set the date for the evening after next and sent out invites. 

The event set and settled, John made the preparations with a hidden enthusiasm. He'd talked Madison into trying some really awful movies, convincing her that they were actually funnier than watching a deliberately-funny movie. He knew some jokes were only funny if you were from Earth (or at least a bit older) but still -- no one could dispute _Sheena, Queen of the Jungle_ was anything other than hilariously stupid. Unfortunately, he'd lost his copy of _Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death_. But he did have and added _Plan Nine from Outer Space_ , because he thought Ronon would probably bust a gut laughing when it got to the line "Earth people are stupid! Stupid stupid!"

The day before the party, Teyla came to visit him in his office. He looked up at her gentle tap and smiled. "Come to lighten the drudgery of my day?"

She looked between him and the dart board across his (extremely paper-laden) desk and raised an eyebrow. Since John still had one dart in his hand, there was no hiding how much drudgery was going on. He gave her his best 'who, me?' smile and she shook her head. "Jinto asked me to remind you of his and Madison's First Steps."

"Huh?" John replied, leaning back in his chair. 

Teyla smiled and sat opposite him. "I thought as much." Once again, John felt like he was on the wrong end of the joke, a not-unusual occurrence when talking with Teyla. "Did Rodney not tell you of it?"

"Uh... no," John said, giving her a curious look. "What's...?" 

"Among my people, as children grow towards their maturity, there are Steps to be taken. The first are uncomplicated and generally involve proving they have the requisite knowledge to perform certain duties, such as creating and tending a fire, repairing damage, and the ability to find their way to and from a certain spot. Jinto has moved beyond the smallest Steps and into the next level, as befits his age and maturity."

John grinned at how proud Teyla sounded. So, Jinto's reached the big P? He thought Jinto's voice had been cracking the last time he saw the kid. Good for him. With a father like Halling, he was going to be pretty damn tall. John felt he ought to start teaching him basketball.

"The Step Jinto must make is to find his way to a certain place, camp overnight, and return, with no difficulties. We use a glade in the forest to the east of our settlement; it is less than half a day's walk, and we have placed certain stones there that need to be returned. I am confident Jinto will succeed." She smiled again, before adding, "The last requirement is there must be another young one, younger than the one taking the Step, taken along in order to demonstrate responsibility and good working habits. Jinto requested Madison accompany him on this Step, and Rodney agreed."

"He did?" Why didn't Rodney _tell_ him these things?

"Yes, he did. He came out with Dr. Macker and investigated the area and the path Jinto and Madison will take. He insisted both Jinto and Madison swallow the small homing devices he has crafted." She smiled again. "With such things, it has become so easy to find everything, even animals that have strayed."

"Yeah," John said, turning the concept over in his mind. "They're good for us too, and so easy and cheap to make. Should have had 'em years ago." He paused, frowning at Teyla. "And Rodney had no problems with the whole thing?" he asked again. "Isn't Madison a little young for this? How long is the trip?"

"They are to leave and return in the space of one day, noon to noon. The clearing is a very easy hike. They are to stay the night, building a fire, then in the morning, they are to erase all signs of their presence and return." She leaned forward. "You must realize, John, to us Madison is quite old enough for this, even though I understand your ways are not like ours." She smiled again, stood and patted his hand. "If you decide against it, please let me know as soon as possible, so Jinto can ask another in her place." As she walked to the door, she turned and added, "I am looking forward to Madison's party. Are you certain there is nothing I can do to help?"

John leaned back in his chair. "No, no, everything's fine," he said, his brain going at about mach three. "I'll... think about it. Thanks for letting me know, I'll make sure to give Rodney a ration of crap about not telling me." She nodded and left.

Standing, John launched the last dart -- making a nice hit about three inches to the left of the entire board -- and headed for Elizabeth's office. This required more than a beloved, though non-biological, uncle could handle.

* * *

He got to Elizabeth's office just as she was standing up to leave. "Lunch," she said, when John asked her if she had a minute. "On my way now."

"Oh. Well... can I..." He rubbed the back of his neck, not certain what to say.

"What? Join me? No." She had a mysterious smile on her face and ordinarily, John would be overcome with curiosity, but he had bigger fish to fry. "What's the matter?"

She didn't seem to have any objection to him following her, so he did. "Did Rodney mention to you about Madison going with Jinto on some... 'step'? Teyla said he'd approved it."

"Oh, you mean the First Steps? No, but I know about them. Madison's going?" 

They reached the transporter and he followed her inside. "Well, apparently, Rodney agreed to Madison going with Jinto on this overnight hike." They emerged not by the mess hall, but near Elizabeth's quarters. "Teyla said it was in a couple of days."

"Really?" She gave him a glance before leaving the transporter. "She's a little young for that, isn't she?"

"That's what I think. I mean, Jinto's a great kid, and I don't think he'll have any problems, but..."

"Actually, I think I'd be less worried about Madison than I would be worried for Jinto," Elizabeth said with a chuckle. 

They came to a stop in front of Elizabeth's door. "Very funny," John said, rolling his eyes. "I'm serious.  Rodney's approved this whole thing but I had no idea. I need help on this one."

She opened her door but turned and stood in his way. "I'm sure you'll figure it out without my help, John. Maybe you should ask Rodney, since he's the one who approved it in the first place. Send him an email, you know he's probably checking it obsessively." She crossed her arms over her chest. "Good luck with your decision."

John blinked as he realized she was waiting for him to leave. "Uh..." 

"Goodbye, John. I've got to change. Lunch, remember?"

"Wha--" She had to _change_? Suddenly, John realized what was happening. "Do you have a _date_?" He felt the smile spread across his face even as hers reddened. Elizabeth had a _date_?! "You could have just told me, you know..."

"What, and deprive you of the joy of figuring it out? _Goodbye_ , John." She stepped back, out of her doorway, and the door closed. 

Damn. Elizabeth had a date. Well, that would make one cool email to Rodney.

* * *

_TO: rmckay@sgc.atb.gov_  
FROM: jsheppard@sgc.atb.gov  
SUBJECT: Elizabeth has a date for lunch!

_Don't know who, yet, but will find out and let you know asap. Also, you forgot to mention some first 'steps' or whatever it is, Jinto and Madison on a campout? Teyla reminded me and isn't Maddie a little young for it? Jinto's cool, I mean, he's way old enough for this stuff, and can you pick up a hoop and basketball for the settlement? I think it's time to teach them b-ball. So, you sure about the camping thing? She said you'd approved all of it and LEFT ME OUT AS USUAL. Not that I'm bitter or anything._

_I hope everything's okay with all the stuff, can you make it back soon? I still think I should have gone with you. Any ideas on when you'll be back? Madison has talked me into a movie and popcorn party tomorrow night. Amaly and Jalla are staying over, but it shouldn't be anything special. Miss you._

_J_

* * *

_TO: jsheppard@sgc.atb.gov_  
FROM: rmckay@sgc.atb.gov  
SUBJECT: RE: Elizabeth has a date for lunch!

_Elizabeth has a DATE? With who? What's going on? Has there been an earthquake or a sign from heaven or something? Goddammit, I go away for a couple of days and everything falls apart. FIND OUT WHO. If you can get pictures, it would be better. You know where I stash my camera, right? We can't let this just go unremarked._

_How did you let Maddie talk you into a sleepover party? Never mind, rhetorical question, I know how she did. If you're going to show her some of those stupid movies, make sure Ronon's there, especially if you're going to do Plan Nine._

_As for the Jinto thing, yeah, sorry, I forgot. It's fine, Halling showed me the route they're taking and it's very easy, less than half a day's walk. I think the idea is to prove they can do it without parental guidance and also without killing the younger person, though that's going to be a real trial for Jinto. If you feel weird about it, shadow them in a cloaked 'jumper or ask what's-her-name, the Aussie biologist to do it. She's almost always out there anyway and Kennedy trusts her, and I trust Kennedy (but do NOT ever tell her I said that). I thought I was supposed to be the fretful parent, here. Make sure they've got the homing beacons, just in case, and they'll be fine._

_As for the 'stuff', well, she's still alive. Barely. Looks like she's set up a huge trust fund for Maddie and sent the rest to charity, which is fine by me. There're some things like Mrs. Delacroix's heirloom pieces, I'll ship them out whenever we get a Daedalus run, it's not like we're going to be using them any time soon. Oh, and send me a list for Maddie, because hello, Christmas? It's getting close which I did NOT realize because it's much better where we are, no malls decorating in September for a holiday in December. Give me a list and I'll do as much as I can, including a basketball and hoop for the settlement. You think Ronon would help us get a tree? I shipped the Christmas things back in August, so we should have them there already. Or maybe we should make it low-key._

_Give Maddie a hug and kiss for me, and I'll be home as fast as I can. Miss you more._

__Dr. M. Rodney McKay, Ph.D, Ph.D  
Science Division Head, SGC/ATB  
Ecce homo, ergo moose

* * *

_Sheena_ and _Plan Nine from Outer Space_ were huge hits at the party. Teyla watched _Sheena_ with her jaw on the floor in front of her; she kept asking, saying, "This is not... real, correct?" Ronon started laughing during the opening credits of _Plan Nine_ and didn't stop until it was over. They ate real hotdogs and French fries and got salads from the mess, and John made the chocolate cake they all loved so much. He was more than a little disappointed that there was none leftover.

Maddie, Jalla and Amaly finally passed out sometime in the middle of the night so John had a blessedly quiet morning, catching up on some reports on his laptop while he waited for them to wake up. Not for the first time, he thought about an Atlantis newspaper, something in print to keep people up-to-date, something with maybe an anonymous advice column, or even a gossip page for things like figuring out who Elizabeth was dating and a comics section. Definitely the comics. Madison had agreed with him when he'd said that in the past. She was a smart kid.

John read Rodney's reply to his email, half laughing and half surprised that Christmas had basically snuck up on them. It was true, on Atlantis the Earth calendar didn't have a whole lot of sway, since there wasn't much in the way of seasonal changes. Even the mainland was in the tropics, which was a good thing for the Athosians. He jotted down a few reminders to himself on his note program, thinking about what Madison would like for Christmas and what she'd like to 'buy' for her friends as well. They could talk about it on the way back from the mainland.

He'd talked about the hike with Teyla during the party. That was another note, to ask Elizabeth to lend him a 'jumper to 'observe' the... whatever it was. Hike, step, thing. He'd already started to think about packing her backpack and what he'd tell her to be careful about. Teyla was right, there were no predators on the mainland and damned little poisonous or irritating plant life, so there really was nothing to worry about. And Madison didn't get enough exercise as it was, even though she did run with him occasionally.

By the time the girls woke, he'd finished with a backlog of reports and had put French toast on for them, with one of the last two jars of real maple syrup. Rodney was bringing back another case with him, because when you've had the _real_ thing, the fake ones just tasted like sugar water. Between them, Madison, Jalla and Amaly ate twelve pieces. With fruit. John should know better than to be boggled at the appetite of adolescent females, but it was always new, something he never saw coming.

As they finished cleaning up, Ronon brought Jinto and Wex by so John herded all five to the 'jumper he'd reserved the day before. He had a staff meeting for the science staff in a bit over two hours and Madison really should have been packed off to her classes with Liu, but she begged again to ride the 'jumper in the co-pilot's seat. Though he had a kind of nervous suspicion it was going to come back and bite him in the ass, John had been teaching her the rudiments of flying a 'jumper, not that there was too much to it. Even Rodney could fly a 'jumper without hitting things. Well, large things.

Once landed, John visited with Halling and Dr. Macker, the new animal husbandry expert Kennedy had recruited from Australia and the person Rodney had written about. Because of her, three different strains each of sheep and cattle had been imported to the mainland to see how they would manage on (literally) foreign soil and feed. She'd been agitating for bringing in kangaroo and wallaby as well, but Kennedy wanted to wait to see how the others would fare first. John let her know about the staff meeting and allowed her to beg off -- she had three ewes due to give birth and she needed to stick to the settlement.

He decided he liked her. She was pretty low-key and it was obvious all the Athosians already adored her. She was strong and seemed amazingly competent, though he still wasn't sure he'd let her shadow Madison on the hike. Strangest thing was whenever she spoke, he heard that stupid Crocodile Hunter guy. 

Madison joined them as they were chatting, hopping from foot to foot, obviously keyed up about something. "Yes?" John asked, looking down.

"Jinto's First Step is day after tomorrow," she said, almost breathless. "Uncle Mer said I could go on the hike, it's overnight and we'll be _alone_ and Jinto said he'd show me how to make a sandwich over a fire and could I have some crackers, marshmallows and chocolate for s'mores?"

Halling was trying hard to hold a smile in. Dr. Macker couldn't hold it and laughed out loud. "I think so," John said, rolling his eyes, "but we'll talk about it this evening. Okay?"

"It would be our honor to have Madison partake of Jinto's First Step," Halling said. "Dr. McKay and I spoke at length about it."

"Yeah, I know," John said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Now, anyway."

Madison wasn't done. "And I want to see the lambs get born, please? Could I stay here with Dr. Susan and--"

"No. Sorry, Beav, but no. You've got classes the rest of today and you're late already."

"But--"

"Maddie, I've got three Merinos lambing in two weeks," Macker said with a grin. John hadn't known she was a Susan, he could swear he'd seen an M in front of her last name. "Just in time for our class. You can watch them then."

"Really?" 

"Really." Macker looked up at John and winked. 

"Let's go, buddy." John nodded and smiled at Halling and Macker before leading Madison off to the 'jumper.

"Can I fly it?" she asked as they were getting settled.

"Once we get going," John replied absently, doing the quick pre-flight.

* * *

After dinner, John began making the necessary plans for Jinto's and Maddie's hike, trying to ignore his reservations. He filled her little backpack and had her practice walking with it, attached her (Disney princess, oh God) sleeping bag, and helped her decide what to bring (negating the Xbox and the Gameboy immediately). He got two of the piezoelectric trackers and kept them in the kitchen, ready for deployment. They were so cheap and easy to make, it didn't matter if they came out naturally to be flushed.

He spent as much of the next day with her as he could, giving her lessons on what to expect in the 'wilderness' of the mainland. He checked her shoes to make sure they were comfortable and in good shape. He gave her advice about what was edible and what was not, and made sure she had long socks, insect repellant and sunscreen. He explained how to 'use the bathroom' outdoors and why a latrine area must always be downriver from any water source they were drinking from. 

The more he talked to her about it, the less certain he was about it. Sure, it was only a day, easy walking, and Jinto was a good kid, someone John trusted. And Maddie had spent overnights at the settlement, had even helped with such chores the other kids did there. She would be fine, he kept telling himself. And he could take a 'jumper, hell, he could land fifteen feet from them and sleep with them, in case anything happened. Not that anything would.

Rodney was right -- when had John turned into the fretful parent?

However, when he went to Elizabeth for permission to borrow a 'jumper and have the two days off, he ran into a snag. A big one.

"You can't." Her flat denial carried the weight of a raised eyebrow. "We've got the Daedalus arriving in a couple days with a shipment of supplies for both the Marines and the science staff, plus we've got new personnel through the 'gate along with more crates of supplies. You'll be in meetings for close to two days." She at least had the grace to look sympathetic. "I'm sure we can work something else out."

John closed his eyes and hung his head. "This is because I got that picture of you kissing Branton, isn't it?"

Elizabeth looked down at her desk but John knew she was trying to hide her grin. "Now, would I be a good leader if I let something as... personal... as that affect my command?" John sighed and she actually chuckled. They were _never_ going to find her body. "I really don't think it's a problem, John," she finally added. "Dr. Macker has the gene and can fly a 'jumper, and she'll be on the mainland anyway; see if she could help out. I'm sure she'd be glad to."

But Macker wasn't John, wasn't Rodney, and John came close to canceling the entire trip. His obvious reluctance was met with pleading eyes and quivering chin, and though normally it wouldn't phase him, he just couldn't cancel it. Rodney had promised her this trip. It was a minor thing, and he had to say, Rodney was more cautious than John, most of the time. So, if Rodney had okayed it, it must be safe. He hoped.

All the way to the mainland, with a bouncy, hyper-talkative girl in the co-pilot's seat, John tried to figure out a way to either actually be with Maddie and Jinto while still at least _acting_ like he was at the staff meeting. Unfortunately, he couldn't, so he settled on advice, coercion, and finally, threats.

"You will be _careful_ , you hear me?" He narrowed his eyes and she looked into them, all guileless and helpless and almost unbelievably devious. "You listen to what Jinto says, and you _do_ as he says, too. Understand?"

"But--"

"No buts, none allowed, if you say it again, we turn around and go home." That got her to close her mouth, at least. "This is not a drill, Beav. You're going to be out in the wilderness -- and yes, it's still wilderness if it's only half a day's hike away -- and you have had absolutely _no_ training for it, unlike Jinto. You will defer to him because he is the better outdoorsman, because he knows what to do." She grimaced and scuffed the dirt with her shoe as he spoke. "And if I find out you didn't, for any reason, I will not hesitate to wring your little neck.  Clear?"

She rolled her eyes at his threat; it wasn't the first time he'd said it and he knew she knew it was total hyperbole. She also knew when he used it, he was extremely serious. "Okay, Uncle John."

"I want to hear you repeat it."

Madison's sigh was as big as all outdoors, but her voice was only slightly sarcastic. "I promise I'll let Jinto lead and I'll do what he says because he's better at being outside and stuff. And I'll be careful."

John nodded, reassured, at least temporarily. He gave her a big hug and kiss and let her run off, almost managing a calm facade.

He turned to Macker, who was standing near the 'jumper she'd flown to the mainland. "I've got nothing to do for the next few days," she said quietly, at least sounding sympathetic. "I'm going to the clearing this evening, I can make sure they're okay and I'll sleep in the back of the 'jumper. I'll also be with them the whole way back, cloaked. Don't worry, mate, I've got'em."

John also tried to convince himself that Macker was right, nothing would happen, they'd be just fine. All the way back to the city he tried to convince himself of that.

And all the way back, he failed to do so. Damn Rodney for agreeing to this -- he was never, _ever_ hearing the end of it. Parking the 'jumper, he sighed, chalked the nerves he was feeling up to overprotective mother genes, and headed for the briefing room. 

* * *

John hated meetings. He especially hated meetings that were actually relevant to the future of Atlantis, because he couldn't beg off; because of his position, he had to contribute. It was slightly easier when Rodney was present, because they could at least send each other dirty notes during the boring parts. 

The first order of business was the new staff coming in. This would be the biggest influx to date, and Elizabeth was feeling the strain. While the city itself had enough room for several armies, they hadn't finished completely exploring it and, as they all knew, exploration of the city could be rather dangerous. Caldwell was concerned as well, mainly because the science staff seemed to think it was fine to go out into the unexplored regions of the city by themselves. That was not only ridiculous, it was highly dangerous, and John promised some butt-kicking in the near future.

Radek was sitting in for Rodney and had a presentation on what the science staff had been working on. This included some improvements to both the 'jumpers and to weapons. Since Madison, Rodney and Sam Carter had finally managed to build new ZPM containers, everything had gone into high gear. Radek (and Rodney, he'd mentioned it to John before he'd left) felt there would be a full complement of three ZPMs on Atlantis within three months. John smiled; that was good. That was very, very good.

Supplies for all the new people had been part of that, as well. Though with the three (or more) ZPMs in their near future, the science staff felt they could begin working towards self-sufficiency. There were manufacturing plants on some of the outer piers, and the whole idea of Atlantis standing by herself without Earth behind her... well, it really tickled John. He thought it did the same to Elizabeth.

Meetings lasted until dinner then picked up again for an hour after. John managed to get to his office and clear out some of the crap before going to a sadly empty and quiet apartment -- unless you counted Beelzebub, since she definitely did. John sat on the sofa with a beer and called up their supply of movies, sports, even TV shows from the TiVO, but nothing really held his interest. He was worried about Rodney, was worried about Madison, and almost managed to talk himself into taking a 'jumper and just seeing how Maddie and Jinto were doing.

With a jolt and a smack to his forehead, he realized he could radio the mainland, talk to Macker. They sun should be just setting there, and the kids should still be awake. Using the satellite relay, he paged Macker.

She answered promptly. "Just checking up," John said, trying for nonchalant. "Hadn't heard anything from you or the mainland."

Apparently, he didn't do nonchalant very well, because she laughed. "Nothing to report," she said. "They made good time here, built a good fire, and Jinto has a lean-to constructed. I've put down a couple hundred feet from them. And damn you anyway for giving them chocolate and marshmallows! I'm downwind and stuck eating an MRE!"

A big lump in John's middle unraveled as he heard her voice. She was there with them, all night, and everything was fine. And he would _not_ tell Rodney how nervous he was about the whole thing, either, even if he did threaten to tear him a new one over not telling John about it. "Thanks. I'm glad you could be there since I can't."

"No worries," she said. "I've got three sisters and four brothers and I'm the eldest... I can do worried right well."  

John ended the call and slouched back on the sofa, boneless in relief. Rodney was right, it wasn't a big thing. Then Beelz jumped into his lap and yelled into his face and John decided to just go to bed. Though he let the damned cat sleep with him, just the once. Stupid cat, she snored louder than Rodney.

* * *

The morning brought more meetings, briefings of the new science personnel (which John really hated, since he had to do it for McKay, and McKay always managed to cow them immediately and John could never seem to manage that), cataloging of the crates of stuff sent through the 'gate and beamed to the 'gateroom by the Daedalus, which had just arrived. He was so busy he almost forgot he was back to his bachelor days without Rodney or Maddie around, and the morning passed in a blur. 

He was so involved with the housing issues that he didn't notice a slight panic in the command room until he heard, "Madison." He was in the middle of coordination with Caldwell on apartment assignments when it caught his attention. He stopped in mid-word and looked up, frowning. Caldwell had heard it as well, and followed his line of sight.

Campbell noticed them looking up. "Uh, Mr. Sheppard? Could you come up here, please?"

John exchanged a semi-panicked look with Caldwell and ran up the stairs. "What? Is there something-- something's wrong, what is it?!"

Teyla came hurrying out of Elizabeth's office. "John, we need to fly to the mainland--"

"What is it? What?!" John was beginning to feel like Rodney when he hyperventilated. 

"Teyla, what's going on?" Caldwell said, behind John, and John hadn't even noticed he was there.

"I am sure it is nothing," Teyla said, and it didn't matter that her voice was soothing, John was going into high freakout mode. "Dr. Macker has reported... a problem, a possible problem with Jinto and Madison and--"

"I'm leaving," John announced, turning and running for the steps to the 'jumper bay even as he spoke. He didn't even notice Teyla was with him until he'd opened the port and was shooting up and out. 

"I am sure it is not anything significant, John," Teyla said. "Dr. Macker reports she... lost them, so to speak. She had to return to the settlement for an emergency and when she went back to find them, they--"

"I am going to kill her," John growled. "She said she would be there, the whole time--"

"John, calm down." 

"Then I'm going to kill Elizabeth for denying--"

"John!" 

"Then, I'm gonna--"

His chin was grabbed in one small, strong hand and his head wrenched over to look at Teyla. "Listen to me. You are overreacting. Calm down now so that we can focus on finding Jinto and Madison."

He tried to turn his head back, tried to escape her hand, but he couldn't, she had too powerful a hold on his chin. "Teyla!"

"John! There is no need to behave as Rodney would, John. Stop it this instant."

Well, _that_ caught him up. Acting like Rodney? "Uh..."

"Fly the 'jumper, John. We shall find them when we arrive. They might already be at the settlement."

"But... I..."

Teyla released his chin -- man, he was going to have a bruise there -- and sat back down in the shotgun seat. "There is nothing that could hurt them, John. Many of our children have been on that hike and there have never been _any_ mishaps, not even a twisted ankle, we would not continue it if there had been. We shall talk to Susan and find them quickly."

John took as deep a breath as he was capable of, then let it out slowly. He knew Teyla was watching him carefully and yeah, he was reacting like Rodney would have. There really was nothing that could hurt the kids. Not even weather, and it had been clear and sunny for the last week. 

Forcing himself to calm, John just put the pedal to the metal and concentrated on them getting there. It took about twenty minutes to get to the mainland, but John managed it in eleven.

The settlement was busy with activity when he landed, though no one appeared to be worried. The rear hatch had barely opened before Macker boarded. "Go," she said. "I'll direct you to the place." She looked concerned, but not frantic.

Without bothering to answer, John strapped himself back in, closed the hatch after Teyla left, and took off again. "What the _hell_ happened?" he demanded, even as he followed her pointing the way.

"I don't know. Honestly, I don't. I was with them last night, they were fine. This morning, they got up and as they were packing up, I got a call from Halling about one of my in-lamb ewes and had to come back. Seriously, they were ready to hike back and I knew they'd probably be at the settlement before I could even go back to find them. But when they didn't show when I thought they should, I lifted and flew back to their campsite and... they were gone. The tracking beacons were just... gone. I couldn't find any trace of them." She sighed. "That's when I asked Halling to radio you."

John wasn't sure he could talk to her without tearing her a new one, so he tried -- hard -- for impersonal. "Where was their camp?"

Their camp was literally five minutes by 'jumper from the settlement, and if they'd already started back just after daylight broke, they should have been home by now. John landed and checked the area over, noticing (with detached calm) how well they'd cleared it up. "Madison! Jinto!" he yelled, though there was no reply. He got back into the 'jumper. "Where were they headed?" 

"Right along there, bang on for the settlement. They should have arrived by now." She sighed and looked worried. 

The 'jumper lifted and John began slowly follow along their path, zig-zagging along it, looking for anything unusual. He called up the HUD to help and there was... "Wait a minute," he murmured, frowning. "What's that?"

She leaned forward and peered into the display. "A building?" 

It was well off the trail back to the settlement, and really well camouflaged. John found a spot to set down and left the 'jumper. "Madison! Jinto!" he yelled, but there was still no reply.

The door to the building was half-open and that was the only thing that gave it away. They both poked their heads inside the door and immediately, lights came on. "Maddie?" John called again, walking inside. "Crap. It's an Ancient building," John murmured. He noticed two sets of wet footprints on the dusty floor. "This is where they were," he said with a sigh, since they were obviously no longer inside.

Macker was looking at the displays, getting increasingly excited. "It's like... it's an animal husbandry outpost... There are repositories for different types of mammals and reptiles... I think they're still viable! This is bloody amazing!"

John grabbed her arm -- he'd been with Rodney enough to know how to wrench a scientist back to the topic at hand. "Is there anything in here that could be dangerous?" he demanded, looking over every console. "A transporter, a power source, anything?"

"Oh," she said, looking around with him. "No, I don't think so. It's just a lot of storage..."

"Wait." John had an idea -- pulling his life-signs detector out, he walked out of the building and turned to look at it again. She didn't show up on the display. "Shit, it's shielded." 

She came out of the building as he spoke. "It's what?"

"Shielded. They were probably in here when you came back to find them." 

"Bugger!" She looked around, as if trying to find their trail. "But..."

Their radios cracked simultaneously. "Settlement to Sheppard, Macker? Do you copy?" It was Teyla's voice.

John touched his earbud. "This is Sheppard, Macker's with me, what's-"

"They are home, John. Please return."

They were home? Madison and Jinto? Back? "I am going to kill them," John muttered, "or maybe just Rodney..." even as he ran for the 'jumper.

* * *

And yes, they had returned; they'd just walked into the settlement, calm as you please. The 'jumper had probably passed over them, but John's eyes had been trained further out. Neither Jinto nor Madison knew what the fuss was about and, in fact, were looking slightly alarmed.

"Where have you been?" John demanded the moment he stepped out of the 'jumper.

Madison frowned at him, then looked around as if she were feeling trapped. "Uh... walking home?" She glanced at Jinto. 

Jinto, who was frowning at Madison, said, "Something that would have taken less time if you hadn't stopped for--"

"I told you, it was important!"

"It was unnecessary, and you could have gotten us in trouble!"

"Well, _I_ know Ancient-y... stuff, I knew what it was and it--"

"You were supposed to be following me, Madison, I'm the leader, and--"

"I did! I did follow you, Uncle John said I had to, 'cause you're better at outdoors stuff, but _I'm_ better with Ancient--"

"That is _enough_." Even John was surprised at the volume Teyla managed. "Sit. Both of you." They sat on a bench and looked up at her with wide eyes. "You are both aware that you have the tracking beacons in you, against any possibility, no matter how remote, of things going wrong." They nodded but (wisely) didn't say anything. "This morning, we were unable to locate your beacons. It caused quite a bit of concern."

Jinto looked at Madison, who looked as confused as he was. "But we did not take..." Jinto started as Madison said, "They should still be inside us, right?"

"The building you found was shielded." Now that everything seemed to be calm, now that the crisis had turned out to be a false alarm, John was beginning to feel remarkably less homicidal. "When you went into it, it cut your beacons and your life-signs off."

Madison's jaw dropped and her eyes grew like saucers. "Oh..." she said, wincing as she turned to look  at Jinto.

"Uh-oh," he said. Then he glared at Madison again. "I _told_ you it was not a good idea!" he hissed. 

She returned his glare, doubled, but before she could speak, Teyla cut in. "There will be no more blame placed in this matter," she said. "The situation has been resolved and it is my hope that _all_ parties will learn from it." She first frowned at the kids, who looked suitably cowed, then at John, who was trying to just avoid looking at her altogether. "Jinto, this Step has been successfully achieved. I suspect you and Madison would like to get cleaned up and changed. Your dinner tonight will be at two hours before sundown."

They stood and Madison followed Jinto's lead, doing the head-touch thing with Teyla, before trailing after Jinto. They began arguing as soon as they stepped away, snipping and grumbling at each other. John sighed, relief was making him almost dizzy. "Well, it turned out okay, thank you God, but I think that's the end of _that_ friendship."

Teyla gave him a puzzled look. "Jinto and Madison? Why would you say that?"

"Well, just listen to them," John said. Even though they'd split up to different buildings, they were still arguing, still snapping at each other. 

All the adults who had been watching started chuckling, and Teyla actually laughed. "What?" John demanded. He looked around, trying to figure out what the joke was. "What?"

Teyla got control of herself (though her smile grew wider), and placed her hand on his arm. "John, they argue because they _like_ each other."

"Huh?" Well, _that_ didn't make any sense at all. The knot of people began to break up, people going about their normal business now that the crisis was over.

"John." Teyla was having a hard time keeping her face sober, but she managed. "Do you recall when you and Rodney first met? What you said and did to each other before you... I believe the term is, 'got together'?"

For just a second, John thought he hadn't heard her right. Then her words sank in and his mouth dropped open in horror. "Oh, _no_. God... no..." Rodney was just going to kill him, several times over.

* * *

Madison was suitably contrite over her adventure with the Ancient building, which was indeed an animal husbandry outpost. Kennedy, Macker and the rest of the biologists were having mass orgasms over it but John really didn't care -- as long as Madison was all right, he was happy. They talked all the way back to Atlantis from the mainland, and John asked Madison to explain what happened to all those who had been worried about her, which she did. She was quiet and remarkably unlike her usual self, so he held out hope she had learned her lesson. 

Before they retired for the evening, she walked up to John and apologized. "I really thought it was important," she said earnestly.

John sighed, setting his laptop aside to give her a hug. "I understand, Beav, but you're going to have to remember that there are protocols in place for such things. And the reason they're in place is because people have gotten hurt and even killed by doing just what you did." He most carefully refrained from bringing up the nanovirus from years before. He still had occasional nightmares from that.

"Really?" Madison looked suitably alarmed and John nodded solemnly. 

"Really." It wasn't the first time she'd had this lecture, so apparently the old saw of 'once bitten, twice shy' was true. Hopefully. It certainly wasn't true for _Rodney_. "So, the next time you see something you think might be Ancient, please don't touch it. Just call for someone else to investigate it."

"Okay." She swallowed hard and gave him a strangulation hug and they went to bed. 

Five (thankfully uneventful) days later, Rodney returned. Branwen McKay had died and there wasn't a whole lot for him to do in terms of the estate, since very little came to him. He was the last person through the wormhole after crates of supplies and a few other people, and John and Madison met him in the 'gateroom, along with Elizabeth and Radek. Madison glomped on to him nearly as much as John did, though they kept the public display of affection to a minimum. 

After saying hi to everyone and having his luggage taken to their apartment, Rodney went to the usual medical checkup in the infirmary. John and Madison kept him company, and Madison appeared reluctant to let him out of touching range, let alone sight. 

Finally, they retreated to their home and Rodney collapsed on the couch with a beer. John joined him as a thrilled Madison checked over the new DVDs Rodney had brought with him. 

"So, anything interesting happen while I was gone?" Rodney finally asked, toeing off his shoes.

Madison and John exchanged a brief glance before John wrapped one arm around Rodney's shoulders. "Nah," he said. "Nothing ever happens around here." Before Rodney could say anything else, John added, "Did I mention I made that chocolate cake again?"

end


End file.
